Howard Cheng, director of Dog One Life Hong Kong, a pet retail chain that originated in Japan, has a new idea for their future expansion.

"We didn’t just want to open another store,” Cheng says. "We wanted to open a department store that offers a variety of pet products and services and a welcoming environment for pet owners to interact with their pets.”

This gave birth to PetMax in December 2007, a 50,000 square feet shopping center for all things pets, located on the 4th floor of Hong Kong International Trade & Exhibition Center.

PetMax is the first shopping center in Hong Kong that allows pets inside. Besides having its own department store section, PetMax features 10 specialty pet retail stores including Three Dog Bakery from America. Other stores offer grooming, spa, training and boarding services. Other than the shopping area, PetMax features a 2,000 square feet indoor activity center and a 10,000 square feet outdoor dog park.

"We hold seminars, birthday parties and other private events in the activity center,” Cheng says. "For the outdoor area, we have a swimming pool and agility facilities for dogs. In a metropolis like Hong Kong, an outdoor pet-friendly facility like this is very precious to pet owners.”

In PetMax, pet product distributors and manufacturer’s representatives rent shelf spaces in the department store area to sell their products. They determine the selling prices, and can also send sales representatives to the store for weekend special promotions.

"We carry premium and specialty pet products aiming to attract middle and upper class customers, and those who really care about their pets.” Cheng says.

The mall’s pet food section carries products from leading brands including Royal Canin and Eukanuba. Their anchor store–Dog One Life—carries mostly Japanese pet products from treats to apparel.

"Japanese dog treats are one of the most popular items here.” Cheng explains. "Hong Kong people adore everything Japanese. Also, many of our customers have toy dogs like bichons, poodles and maltese. They feel that Japanese pet treats have the right packaging and nutritional formula for breeds.”

Cheng believes that PetMax’s business model is the key to success in the pet retail business.

"Nowadays, consumers want variety.” Cheng explains. "We welcome manufacturers or distributors to contact us to introduce new products to the market. We are also seeking investors to help us expand PetMax’s concept to mainland China or other parts of the world.” <HOME>